Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid has unexpectedly resigned, a day after he swore in new deputies and gave no indication he was thinking of leaving.

The resignation was announced this morning in a memo to sheriff’s department employees. According WKYC, it said County Executive Ed FitzGerald asked for the resignation effective at the end of this month.

The letter read in part, “I believe I'll leave this organization much better than when I first took office and will value the friendships I've made.”

Reid took over about 3 ½ years ago, succeeding interim Sheriff Frank Bova who took over for now convicted Sheriff Gerald McFaul. Neither he nor FitzGerald has been available yet to explain the surprise move.